Flying Solo

By Rhuben

Summary-As pressure at Eden Hall builds, the Ducks take their frustrations out on each other.

01:

Ducks Fly Together

(Part One)

Home. They, whoever "they" are, always say "Home is Where the Heart Is" but for me, home is where home is. Minnesota is my home, always has been, always will be. It's where I grew up, it's where I had my height measured, where I got my first stitches. Nothing could compare to it. Not even Eden Hall.

"Mom, would you stop looking at me like that?"

Charlie Conway slowed the movement of the bristles raking paths through his hair as he gave his mother's reflection an amused look. He set his wooden brush down onto the side of the sink before turning to face his mom, Casey Conway as she leaned in the bathroom doorway.

The corners of her lips were pulled up into a smile. Her hand was placed over her lips, fingers curled to press her fingertips into her lips, probably to stop her sobs that were threatening to slip past. Her cheeks were a bright pink, and her eyes were misty with the tears that had threatened to fall despite her blinking rapidly to try and clear her eyes.

She had promised she wouldn't get worked up and as usual, it looked like she wasn't able to control herself enough to follow through with it.

"I'm sorry," Casey replied, slowly shaking her head, keeping the smile on her face. She stepped closer to her son and lifted her hands and placed them on his cheeks. "I'm just so proud of you." Charlie's lips pulled back into a smile. "It's not every day my son gets a full scholarship to Eden Hall Academy."

Even Charlie couldn't believe it; still, as he was preparing to head over to the ceremony where he, and his friends, would officially accept their hockey scholarships into Eden Hall Academy as the new freshmen team. He had to chalk it up to being one of the best moments in his life (nothing could beat going to the Junior Goodwill Games and being recognized as the USA Mighty Ducks) as he never thought he'd ever be able to get into a school as lavish as Eden Hall.

Things had been pretty hard for him and his mom ever since his dad had left them, but they were taking it through everything together. He wanted to help out with the finances, but his mom had told him time and time again his only job was to be a kid and to have fun. And there was nothing he had more fun doing than playing hockey.

If it wasn't for his mom, always supporting him and picking him back up when things got hard, he didn't know how far his hockey career would take him. Now, having the opportunity to attend Eden Hall, he knew that it could jumpstart his career in many ways. And as an added bonus, Coach Bombay had attended Eden Hall.

"Yeah, I know," Charlie replied, bowing his head for a moment. Casey took that moment to stand on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his forehead. "Awww, mom!"

"I remember when you got your first skating lesson," Casey said, her voice filling with emotion. Charlie briefly closed his eyes, his chest swelling as he dragged in a deep breath of air before letting it out in a huff.

"Moo-o-oom!"

"And now you're starting high school at Eden Hall," she continued as if he hadn't said anything. "It's a great school. Your father would be so proud."

Charlie could feel her freeze for a brief moment. Her eyes searched his for a brief moment before shifting, turning away from him. Charlie's lips twisted to the side before stepping forward to give his mom a hug. "I know," he said quietly, feeling her tight grip around his torso. "Thanks, mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Charlie," Casey replied quietly. She patted his arms as she pulled back, giving him a close-lipped smile. "Now, let me get your jersey, and we're all ready to go." She gave him another quick hug before hurrying through their home. "We don't want to be late."

"Of course not," Charlie muttered to himself, stepping back into the bathroom. He peered at his reflection before reaching his hands up to adjust his tie. He sniffed, angling his head back slightly and said, in the best '"rich accent" he could muster, "Wasted time is wasted money after all" and let out a mocking laugh.

He dropped his arms down to his sides, his fingertips smacking the legs of his dress pants. He gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling it out slightly, frowning at his reflection as he twisted his head this way and that. What am I doing? He thought with a sigh, peering down at his dressy clothes with a sigh. He'd take a t-shirt and jeans any day. Eden Hall? Me?

"Come on, Charlie, we have to get going," Casey said as she made her way back into hall.

She had Charlie's newly cleaned, bright white Ducks jersey. She shook it out before holding it up by the sleeves. Charlie smiled at the logo before reaching out his hands take the jersey. He quickly slipped it on over his head, running his hands down the sides, smoothing it out.

Much better, Charlie thought with a smile. He lifted his head to share a smile before brushing past her, making his way out of their home and out to the car. He laughed lightly at the scratches and slight dents at the side of the car facing the home.

For years, he has used the family car as a makeshift hockey net when shooting into the street and as boards whenever he, Goldberg, and Guy had roller hockey games. All those years he had dented and scraped car after car he was surprised his mom hadn't complained about it by now. The only big event being when he had accidentally blew out a window working on his left side shot in the off-season. But, he had learned his lesson; one week without his hockey gear. It was torture.

Charlie reached for the door handle and popped it open before climbing inside, pulling the seatbelt over his chest, sliding it into its holder with a loud click. He stretched his legs out in front of him as far as he could as his mom climbed into the divers' seat. Minutes later, they were on their way to Eden Hall.

Greens, blues, and grays mixed together as the scenery shot past his window as they made their way through Minneapolis, Minnesota. He tapped his fingers on the windowsill as he stared out the window as they got farther and farther away from home. An odd feeling sat in the pit of his stomach, growing more and more noticeable the farther out they traveled.

"Charlie, you've been really quiet today," Casey commented, glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye. "Is everything ok?"

"Just thinking," Charlie replied, removing his gaze from the window before looking over at her. "It's just kind of weird that I won't be going to Roosevelt with Peter, or Jesse, or Karp, that's all."

"Well, honey, you know that giving up hockey was a tough decision for them," Casey replied quietly. "Hockey doesn't become a lasting career for everybody."

"I know," Charlie replied, nodding his head. "I just started this all with them. I wouldn't even be into hockey if it wasn't for them." His lips curled up into a half smile. "We started the Ducks together."

"It doesn't mean that they're not a Duck at heart," Casey replied. "Adam wasn't a duck at first and neither was Coach Bombay. And they'll both be a Duck no matter where life takes them; whether hockey's included or not."

"Adam's got the best chance at being scouted to play for a big school, mom," Charlie said with a small snort, "if not the minors."

"And…Coach Bombay?" Casey prompted.

Charlie let out a chuckle, his tilting his head back until the back of his head hit the headrest of his seat. "It's like I said, he made us, so he's stuck with us," he replied, giving his mom a toothy smile. Her jaw dropped slightly before she let out a small laugh of disbelief. "I know, I was such a little brat."

"Charlie—"

"I guess I'm just nervous," Charlie said, interrupting his mom. He sucked in a breath of air before slowly letting it out. "But, the Ducks will be there, and Bombay is still going to be our coach. It'll be just like old times, only with a change of scenery. I mean home is only a short bus ride away." Who are you trying to convince, Charlie? You or mom?

"That's right," Casey agreed, letting out a small sigh, her lips twitching upwards into a smile. Charlie peered over at her, resuming tapping his fingers along the windowsill. Casey hummed to herself, drumming her thumbs against the steering wheel to the beat of the soft rock that was playing on the radio. Her eyes shifted in his direction before she turned fully to look at him. "I'll be fine, mom. Don't worry."

"I'll do my best," she replied, setting her gaze back on the road.

Charlie chuckled as he leaned forward in his seat, reaching for the volume knob, turning up the sound of the music that was playing. He lifted his feet, placing them on top of the glove compartment and started to mimic the drumming, slapping his hands on his legs.

He slowly stopped what he was doing before turning to look at his mom, turning down the music. "Mom, could you please, please not pinch my cheek, or cry, or call me your baby or anything like that today?" Charlie asked, a pained look crossing his face. "Please? Not in front of the Ducks?"

"Should I just get them all out of the way right now, then?" Casey asked, glancing away from the road just slightly to threaten to pinch his cheek. Charlie leaned as far away from her as he could, making a face as he did so. "I'll try, Charlie, but I can't make any promises."

"I know," Charlie replied, relaxing into a smile. "Thanks mom, for everything."

"You're welcome, Charlie," Casey replied, using her hand to brush her curly hair out of her face. "But, you don't have to thank me."

"Well…I never really have before," Charlie replied with a small shrug. "Not that often, anyway. Thought I'd start making up for it." He reached for the volume knob a second time, hesitating for a moment. "What station do you want to listen to, mom?"

Casey looked over at Charlie, her red lips parting to reveal her teeth as she gave a smile. "Whatever you want to listen to, Charlie," she replied.

Charlie grinned, removing his hand from the radio controls. He bobbed his head to the music, shifting his gaze back out the window. A tapped his thumb against his thigh along with the melody of the song before looking back over at his mom, his smile widening as he watched her bob her head as well.

"Hey, it's about time. How is it that the captain is the one that's late?"

"Ha ha, funny Goldberg," Charlie rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the sea of Ducks jerseys sitting around the fountain on the campus of Eden Hall. Greg Goldberg merely shrugged his shoulders, keeping the smile on his face. "How're you doing, guys?"

"I'm dying to get out of this, man," Guy Germaine said, tugging at his tie. He had his chin tilted back as he tried to make his tie look presentable. Connie Moreau let out a heavy sigh, getting to her feet, smoothing down the end of her skirt before slapping his hands away. "I'm not meant to wear ties."

"I've gotta agree, Ducks jerseys are the way to go," Fulton Reed said, a deep frown of his face as he lifted his hands to brush his long hair back from his face. "I mean dressing up, come on! I hope this school isn't as uptight as I think it is."

"Banksie will fit right in, anyway," Dean Portman said, clapping his fellow Bash Brother on the shoulder.

"Yeah, not all of us can pull this look off like Cake Eater," Russ Tyler joked, jerking his thumb over in Adam Banks' direction. "This is like a normal day for you isn't it?"

Adam rolled his eyes, a half smile coming to his face. "Actually, it's more like family dinner," he replied, his lips curling up into a smirk. "But close enough." Russ laughed, shoving his shoulder.

"Whoever thought we'd end up at Eden Hall of all places?" Dwayne Robertson asked, spinning his cowboy hat between his hands. He clicked his tongue. "Shoot, I thought it was an adventure just to go to California. I'm sure making my family proud."

"You also thought it was an adventure to get shoes that aren't cowboy boots," Julie "The Cat" Gaffney replied with a short laugh. She was one of the only few Ducks standing, head angled to the side as she twisted her long blonde hair into pigtails. She turned towards Connie. "What do you think? Braids or no?"

The boys groaned, making faces at the sudden change in topics. Charlie grinned before turning towards Ken Wu who had his hands tightly clasped together, mouthing to himself. "Kenny, what are you doing?" Charlie asked with a little laugh.

Ken relaxed his hands, giving a small grin as he uncurled his fingers to reveal a quarter singing in the middle of his palm. He flipped it into the air before catching it. "Just…wishing for some good luck this year," he said, moving to balance the quarter on his thumb.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Louis Mendoza commented after a moment of silence, reaching for the back pocket of his tan pants.

"Where's Danni?" Charlie asked, looking around the group as he also reached for his wallet. He craned his neck, looking around for the missing Duck, Danielle Taylor.

It was a little bit of a Ducks tradition to start out the new hockey season with personal predictions for what they thought would occur during the season or to see what goals they could achieve. It had started all the way back in Pee Wee when they were known as District 5.

"I'm right here," Danielle replied as she walked over to the group, her heels clacking on the path. She had her head bent to the side as she swept her caramel brown hair into a side ponytail. "Directionally challenged as usual. Dad and I circled the campus three times looking for parking."

Louis snorted, a half smile coming to his face. "Who could forget that magnificent shot on our goal at the Goodwill Games?" he asked. Soft laughs and a low "oooh" went around the ground as Danielle put a hand to her face.

"And to think I was just starting to forget about that, Louis," she commented, moving to take a seat on the rim of the fountain. "Thanks, Louis. Thanks heaps." Louis merely threw a wink in her direction. "So, what'd I miss?"

"The opportunity to get out of here," Fulton replied, squinting his eyes as he turned his head to look in the direction of where the ceremony was to take place. Rows after rows of chairs were starting to be filled, the first row reserved specifically for them.

"Looks like we'll be starting in any minute," Lester Averman said, lifting his hand to massage his throat. He coughed, clearing it a couple of times. "Is anyone else getting nervous? I think my throat is closing up." He started breathing heavily, fanning himself with his hand. "My, is it hot out here, today."

"Shut up, Averman," Danni commented, briefly closing her eyes. She suddenly looked nervous as well.

Charlie felt the mood of his teammates suddenly change. He tossed his wallet back and forth in his hands before unfolding it, reaching for the zipper of the coin pouch. He dumped a handful of copper and silver coins, sunlight bouncing off of them. He gripped the quarter in his hand, sliding the rest of the coins back into his wallet before clearing his throat, getting his friends' attention.

"Whoever thought we'd be at Eden Hall, huh?" he asked, trying to give a confident smile as he slid his wallet back into his pocket. "Look, guys—"

"And girls," Julie called out. Charlie paused for a moment, chuckling before nodding in her direction.

"And girls," he corrected himself, "this will be good for us; do you know how many alumnae have gone on into the NHL?"

"Yeah, and I heard Bombay went here, too," Julie said, her eyebrows shifting upwards, looking impressed. Murmurs went through the group of hockey players.

"It'll be cool," Charlie continued, tossing the quarter back and forth between his palms. "We're the Ducks and we fly together. It's not every day that a whole team gets scholarships to attend a school like this. Let's show them why they chose us; let's show them what being a Duck is all about."

"Yeah!" the Ducks shouted in unison, nudging each other, sharing smiles.

"It's just a school, but the ice is still ours the minute we step out there," Charlie continued. "We've got Bombay with us, there's no way we can lose. We've overcome a lot; losing old ducks, gaining new Ducks, and facing the toughest opponents but we made it through. Together. We can do this, too."

He then paused, glancing at the water fountain for a moment before giving a sheepish grin. He mimed a toss and the Ducks got to their feet. "But…just in case…" he trailed off before stepping up to the side of the brick structure, the toes of his brown shoes bumping the edge. He bowed his head, closing his eyes as he held the quarter in his hands.

I predict, no matter what, we'll make it through this year together, Charlie thought to himself. He then opened his eyes and tossed the quarter forward, watching it spin through the air before breaking through the surface with a plop.

Plop, plop, plop coin after coin was thrown into the fountain, collecting at the bottom. The water shimmered, sending ripples across the water, distorting his reflection.

"Ducks." Charlie lifted his head to see a sharp dressed man, adjusting his tie as he made his way over towards them. He had a bright smile on his face, as he beckoned them over, practically wind milling his arm. "We're ready for you; look sharp. This is a big occasion."

"What gave you that idea?" Portman asked under his breath, his upper lip curling as he adjusted his tie. "The tie or the crisply ironed pants?" His look of annoyance lifted just slightly when he heard stifled laughs around him.

"That's right, have bright spirits," the man said, encouraging them forward. "Get in a line, just like the Ducks you are."

Charlie slapped a hand over his mouth, trying to stop the bubble of laughter that rose in his chest from popping. He glanced back over his shoulder at Adam, who was shuffling behind him. He was looking around the clearing, eyes darting from tree, to bush, to building.

"What's up, man?" he asked.

"Nothing," Adam replied after a moment of silence. "Just thinking. Never thought I'd be scouted for a school, that's all." He put a smile on his face reaching out a hand to shove Charlie's shoulder. "What're you thinking about?"

"I just can't wait to get on the ice," Charlie replied. He spread out his arms, indicating the vast campus around him. "Watch; pretty soon this school will see how the Ducks fly."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming, The Ducks."